It was May 13. 2023 when we moved into the new house. We'd taken ownership a few days earlier, but had waited for the new carpeting before we moved in. Then two months later we moved out for three months while 25% of the house was gutted and rebuilt. Then in February we had the deck built - 21 square meters or 226 square feet, not including the spa, taking up nearly half of the yard. We put in the no-dig garden over summer and in April we dug that out and built raised garden beds, taking up another quarter of the yard. We also installed two heat pumps, replaced all the curtains, changed a lot of the electrics, painted the hallway and updated the kitchen. We've spent so much time working on the house, it's hard to believe we've had anytime to enjoy it.
And we did it on a shoestring. All up, we've probably spent about NZ$100,000. (The budget was $50,000.) We re-used most of the bathroom fixtures. I dug the holes for the deck posts myself. The spa was bought on eBay for $200 and just needed a new pump, which cost $250. Most of the curtains were on sale and we hung them ourselves. The french door was bought from a recycler. I did much of the painting and the deck staining and built the garden beds. There were only a few indulgences: Rae got a rain shower for the guest bath; I got a shower dome for the en suite. There were a few unexpected expenses: Our sleigh bed frame wouldn't fit in the new bedroom so we ended up buying another (straighter) frame, but even then we got it second-hand. The only new furniture we bought - two dressers, a shoe rack and am outdoor sofa - were all very cheap.
But we love it. We love the new layout, we love going out on the deck, we love getting in the spa, we love sitting in the living room, we love entertaining guests, we love the new pantry. It's a far cry from the dowdy house with the weird layout we looked at just over a year ago. When we found out our offer had been accepted, we were both a little disappointed - we'd bid on several houses that we were much more excited about. But after we put in the carpet and drapes, we could really start to feel the house coming together. And when the renovation was finished, and we got to move into the new master bedroom, it was really exciting. And when the deck was built, and it suddenly had that "indoor/outdoor" feel, we could not have been happier.
There's still a mountain of things to take care of, but there always will be. Last weekend I took off the back door, which was peeling badly, stripped it and painted it and now it looks great. I also started painting the handrails. Down the side of the house, which was full of weeds last summer, we've started to cover it with cardboard and mulch. The cardboard we collect from the dumpster behind the local shops, and the mulch is available for free.
Before and after of the back door:
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